There are various types of automatic fire fighting systems which are actuated by excessive heat. One type of automatic fire fighting system involves the utilization of heat sensing actuators and discharge nozzles which are capable of widely dispersing the pressure discharge of fire fighting material from the nozzle whereby the fire fighting material may be widely dispersed for extinguishing a fire within a room without an attendant to operate the fire extinguisher. In addition, it is conventional for manual fire extinguishers to be wall mounted in a manner for ready removal of the fire extinguisher and manual operation of the fire extinguisher against a localized fire.
Recently, development has been made in the provision of wall mounted dry powder fire extinguishers equipped with automatic heat sensing valves for actuation of the fire extinguishers in response to a rise in temperature above a predetermined level. Of course, such wall mounted fire extinguishers are provided with dispersion nozzles whereby the dry powder automatically discharged into a room where a fire is present substantially entirely inundates the room with dry powder in order that a fire may be extinguished in any area of the room.
While the use of automatic actuators on wall mounted dry powder fire extinguishers represents a considerable advance, a localized fire may not be best fought with a dry powder extinguisher of the type equipped with a dispersion nozzle designed to inundate a room upon automatic actuation. A fire may best be manually fought by a fire extinguisher capable of directing a stream of dry powder onto the base of the fire.
Examples of various forms of wall mounted fire extinguishers of various types are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 398,643, 578,703, 543,341, 758,362 and 2,620,038.